The medical industry relies on various types of instrument support mechanisms for supporting medical instruments proximate a seated patient. For example, ophthalmic instruments, such as slit lamps, indirect ophthalmometer, and a vision tester, must be supported in line with a patient's field of vision during eye examination procedures while the patient is seated in an examination chair. These instruments are typically placed on one or more movable instrument support arms extending from a support pole forming part of an instrument stand. The instrument stand further includes a base that supports and stabilizes the support pole. Typically, electronics in the base controls the various ophthalmic instruments and other electrical devices in the examination room, such as the room lights.
One difficulty with conventional instrument support mechanisms is the inability to easily repair the electronics and electrical circuitry found in the base of the instrument stand because a technician must disassemble the entire base to provide access. A related difficulty with conventional instrument support mechanisms is the inability to easily replace the electronics and electrical circuitry in the base of the instrument stand. For example, the stand electronics and electrical circuitry cannot be easily modified to add or remove support for instrument wells.
Some conventional instrument support mechanisms include articulated support arms featuring an electric panel carrying various electrical inserts, like switches and power outlets. Another difficulty with conventional instrument support mechanisms is that the electric panel cannot be moved to, for example, customize the instrument support mechanism for use by either a left-handed or a right-handed practitioner. Instead, the entire support arm must be replaced to adapt to the practitioner, which is costly and inconvenient.
Other conventional instrument support mechanisms include a shelf on top of the base. To be able to thoroughly clean the shelf, it should be removable from the base. However, such removable shelves may be inadvertently dislodged from the base by a horizontal force and either fall to the floor or need to be returned to the original position.
What is needed, therefore, is an instrument stand that addresses these and other deficiencies of conventional instrument stands.